Eric Arnow
Aug 20, 2024
We’re Headed Like Lemmings Towards War
The past couple of days, I’ve been in contact with two dear friends of mine, one going back 20 years, another goinng back over 50 years. The topic is about the upcoming election, and since all three of us come from an anti Vietnam war background, we share a lot in common.
So with the apparent ascendancy of Kamala Harris, a mistress of San Francisco ‘queen maker’, Willie Brown paving the way to her career to State office and and now Vice President and heir apparent, the question comes up whether to vote for her.
What I am seeing in the formerly anti war community of the 1960’s is that war is no longer the top issue. It should be, in my opinion and the article will explain why.
Since 1964, Nothing Has Changed…NOTHING!
Here’s a song by Bob Dylan. I was 16 years old then, and back then as now, Russophobia has been one of the primary Commandments of the American Religion. It’s disgusting and pathetic.
A German retired military General recently rejoiced over the fact that German tanks are now back in the Russian region of Kursk, presumably seeking revenge for Germany’s resounding defeat in the biggest tank battle in world history. Russians these days are saying, “Scratch a German, and you’ll always find a Nazi.” And as it happened 81 years ago, German tanks will burn again. At first they thought in 1943, that victory would be theirs. That delusion is being shattered again in 2024.
But, still ya gotta hate dem Russkies! Who were our ‘allies of convenience’ at the time. Only to be turned into an enemy after they defeated the common enemy, Hitler.
The US Is Also at War with Itself
Nominally, it’s the Republicans vs the Democrats. These two parties both of which have been waging war against Russia ever since Winston Churchill’s Plan, Operation Unthinkable in May 1945. Continuing on with the Korean, Vietnamese Wars, the Cold War, the Arms Race, the betrayal of the unilateral disarmament of the Soviet Union, the abrogation of the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty by George W. Bush in 2002, and the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty and Open Skies Treaties by Donald Trump. And now with the plan to move forward, putting nuclear missiles 10 minute flight to Moscow.
But, see, it’s all RUSSIA’s Fault. How Dare Russia Hog All Those Resources that Wall Street Craves, in order to keep the $35 trillion debt and Multi Hundred Trillion or Quadrillion Derivatives Market from imploding!
The US is like a heroin junkie with a gun, attempting to hold up and rob someone. Except that their mark this time, Russia, has nuclear weapons which now excel the US weapons, and missile defenses that unlike the US, can actually shoot down the antiquated and possibly obsolete US missiles.
However, despite their agreement on their decades long plan to destroy and loot Russia, the people who actually create US policies have nurtured a secondary war: Christian Fascists pandered to by the Republicans, versus the Identity Politics, LGBT and Black Lives Matter faction pandered to by the Democrats.
The Pet Project 2025
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025#
Project 2025 envisions widespread changes to economic and social policies and the federal government and its agencies. The plan proposes taking partisan control of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), dismantling the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and reducing environmental and climate change regulations to favor fossil fuels.[18][21] The blueprint seeks to institute tax cuts,[22] but its writers disagree on protectionism.[23] It recommends abolishing the Department of Education, whose programs would be transferred or terminated.[24][25] Funding for climate research would be cut,[26] and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would be reformed along conservative principles[vague].[27] The project seeks to cut Medicare and Medicaid,[28][29] and urges the government to explicitly reject abortion as health care.[30][31] The project seeks to eliminate coverage of emergency contraception[28] and enforce the Comstock Act to prosecute those who send and receive contraceptives and abortion pills.[31][32] It proposes criminalizing pornography,[33][34] removing legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,[34][35] and terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs[5][35] and affirmative action[36] by having the DOJ prosecute “anti-white racism“.[37] The Project recommends the arrest, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants.[38][39][40] It proposes deploying the military for domestic law enforcement.[41] It promotes capital punishment and the speedy “finality” of those sentences.[42][43] It hopes to undo “[al]most everything implemented” by the Biden Administration.[44]My interpretation:
Replace career civil service employees who get their jobs through civil service exams, and replace them with political appointees. Basically it replaces one Deep State with another blatantly politicized Deep State
Backtracking on environmental protection
Instituting corporate friendly tax cuts that further shft the burden of taxes onto the working class
Further dumb down the population by replacing the already failing public education system with schools promoting dogmatism over critical thinking.
Cutting back on public health and further restricting both birth control in general as well as abortion rights
Roll back changes in the whole ‘Gender’ wars movement
Expand Presidential powers, the socalled Unitary Executive, or put more bluntly, dictatorial control by the President
Designate China, on whose massive manufacturing capacity the US depends, not just for consumer goods but for many US weapons, as an official ‘totalitarian’ enemy. So, what…? Declare war on China and demand that China send us the components we need to make the weapons to attack China?
Emphasize that the US is ‘a Christian Nation’, which explicitly violates the First Amendment
It all looks rather totalitarian.
The Identity Politics Wing
Encourage kids with hardly formed personalities to question their chromosomal make up
Expose them to what formerly was considered pornography off limits to kids
Discourage the traditional father mother family structure, the basis of continuing the species
Estrange kids from their parents, telling them in school that the State knows better
Foment more conflict between various ethnic groups, blacks, whites, Latinos, Gays, and the various alphabet notions of gender
Legalize gender medical procedures, even with kids who barely know themselves.
And even use this new and arbitrary ideology to sanction countries whose traditional societies don’t go along with that agenda.
This all looks rather totalitarian, just a different form of dogmatic authoritarianism
The Two “Peace Candidates”
Trump says the Ukraine war (that is, when after 8 years of broken promises to resolve the conflict, Russia insisted on defending the areas of Ukraine that resisted Joseph Biden’s overthrow of the democratically elected President Yanykovych) would never have happened under him.
Oh really? After Trump flooded Ukraine with weapons and built the Ukraine military to finish off those who resisted the coup?
And Biden, who presided over the coup, and sabotaged all peace talks, claims the US is supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, while ‘fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian’ and forcing Ukraine to sell off its land and other assets to Wall Street, having overthrown the Ukrainian government!
Recently Trump confided:
Trump: “Putin told me: “If you are my friend, I would not want to see you as my enemy“
Stated differently, ‘with friends like you, who needs enemies’. And yet Trump asserts that Putin, in the face of Trumps imperious demands thinks Putin respects him!
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trump-says-stopped-putins-invasion-112531218.html
Donald Trump told Elon Musk last night that he would have been able to stop Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine.The ex-US president, who is running for re-election on the Republican ticket, spoke to the X boss in a long and rambling two-hour interview.Trump said he “knows” both the North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and the Russian president Putin, saying: “They’re smart and vicious.” [My Comment: How would Trump react to being spoken of behind his back as ‘smart and vicious’?]Taking aim at the outgoing president Joe Biden and his vice-president Kamala Harris, Trump said: “When they see a Kamala or sleepy Joe, they can’t believe it.”He then repeated his previous claims about having a supposedly strong bond with Putin in particular, saying: “I know Putin very well, I got along with him very well, he respected me and it’s just one of those things, and we would talk a lot about Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye!“But I said to him, ‘Don’t ever do it.’”Recalling a particular conversation between them, he said: “I said to him, Vladimir Putin, ‘Don’t do it. You can’t do it, Vladimir, you do it, it’s going to be a bad day, you cannot do it.’“And I told him things – that what I do, and he said, ‘no way,’ and I said, ‘way’,” Trump said.However, the US president also acknowledged Moscow’s military strength, saying: “Russia defeated Germany with us, and they defeated Napoleon. You know, they’ve been around a long time.”“They’re a big fighting force, and it’s very unfair … We’re in a very bad position. And I’m not going to blame, exclusively, but I can tell you, I could have stopped that,” he added.He then said he shut down the Nord Stream 2, the oil pipeline coming out of Russia and going to Europe.It was actually Germany who froze the project in February 2022 after Putin invaded Ukraine, although Trump did place sanctions against Russia over the pipeline in 2017.Trump claimed: “Biden came along and they say I loved Russia, I was a friend of Putin, and I loved Russia, no – he [Putin] actually said to me one time, if you’re my friend I’d hate to see you as an enemy. I shut down his pipeline!”He suggested Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if it wasn’t for Biden – a claim Musk did not deny, instead describing it as an “excellent point”. [Trump disavows his own serious violation of international law against Russia, by breaking treaties, and arming Ukraine’s extremist nationalist regime]
What Is AI’s Opinion on All This?
I thought, I’d get a so-called “objective opinion” on this by asking ChatGPT the following question:
What are the principles of the ‘Woke’ Rainbow agenda, and why are people with that opinion and on the other hand, conservatives so at odds with each other?
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
The “Woke” ideology, often associated with progressive social justice movements, includes principles that advocate for awareness and action against various forms of social injustice, particularly those related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other marginalized identities.
The term “woke” originally emerged from African American Vernacular English (AAVE), meaning to be awake to issues of social injustice. However, it has since evolved and become a broader label used to describe progressive ideologies focused on identity politics.
Key Principles of the “Woke” Agenda:
Social Justice: Advocating for the rights and fair treatment of marginalized groups, including racial minorities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and others who have historically faced discrimination.
Equity: Promoting policies and practices that aim to reduce inequalities, recognizing that different groups may require different resources or opportunities to achieve similar outcomes.
Intersectionality: Understanding that various forms of discrimination (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia) are interconnected and cannot be addressed in isolation. This concept emphasizes how different identities (race, gender, class, etc.) overlap and impact individuals’ experiences.
Anti-Racism: Actively opposing and addressing systemic racism, which is seen as deeply ingrained in societal structures, institutions, and cultures.
LGBTQ+ Rights: Supporting the rights of individuals to express their gender identity and sexual orientation freely, including advocating for the recognition of non-binary and transgender identities.
Environmental Justice: Recognizing that environmental issues disproportionately affect marginalized communities and advocating for solutions that address these inequalities.
Why Are There Conflicts with Conservatives?
The conflict between those who support “woke” ideologies and conservatives often stems from differing views on several fundamental issues:
View of Tradition vs. Change: Conservatives often emphasize the importance of tradition, stability, and gradual change. They may view some “woke” policies as radical or disruptive to the social order. In contrast, proponents of “woke” ideologies often seek rapid change to address what they see as urgent injustices.
Individual Responsibility vs. Systemic Issues: Conservatives typically emphasize personal responsibility and may argue that individuals are responsible for their own success or failure. In contrast, “woke” advocates often focus on systemic factors (such as institutional racism) that they believe create barriers for marginalized groups.
Free Speech vs. Harm Reduction: Conservatives often prioritize free speech, even if it involves controversial or offensive statements. On the other hand, “woke” advocates may emphasize the importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces, which sometimes involves limiting speech they consider harmful or discriminatory.
Perceptions of Identity Politics: Conservatives might view identity politics as divisive, arguing that it focuses too much on differences rather than commonalities among people. Proponents of “woke” ideologies, however, argue that recognizing and addressing specific injustices faced by different groups is necessary for achieving true equality.
Economic Perspectives: Conservatives often advocate for free-market solutions and limited government intervention, while “woke” ideologies may call for government policies to address inequalities, such as affirmative action or wealth redistribution.
Moral and Cultural Values: The cultural differences between the two groups also play a significant role. For example, conservative views on family, religion, and sexuality may clash with the more progressive stances of the “woke” agenda, especially regarding issues like same-sex marriage or gender identity.
These differences lead to a broader cultural and political divide, where both sides often perceive the other as fundamentally threatening to their values and way of life. The debate is often highly charged and polarized, with each side viewing the other not just as wrong, but as morally or existentially dangerous.
Where Does This All Lead to?
Just to put a little humor into all this rather bleak situation, I’m reminded of a couple of items from way back when. One time, the comedian, Mort Sahl told this story about President Eisenhower. “The President was in the Oval Office of the White House. And his advisor showed him a Globe of Planet Earth with all the trouble spots marked in black…it was big black globe…”
And then there’s this:
Maybe we need new lyrics:
A Culture Based on Hatred Cannot Stand
Abraham Lincoln quoted the Bible, when he said, “A house divided cannot stand.” So we have a choice. We can continue on this self destructive and destructive path. Or we can find a way out, by seeing what we agree on and work towards common goals.
I’d submit that behind these apparent conflicts, there is a core problem. James Carville, President Bill Clinton’s adviser said the way to sell his campaign (which turned out to be one of more Wall Street and War) was “It’s the economy, stupid”. That’s what people will vote on.
I say, “It’s the SYSTEM, stupid”. It’s the whole system that sets us against each other, while the 1% profits from the wars and the financial manipulators. Once people on the socalled Right and the so called but not really Left recognize the scam, we can begin to seek real solutions to the current crisis. But first, recognize that the divisions are not as important as our collective survival as a country and a world.
Conclusion: Hate and Division Are the Enemy
We’re all being condition to Hate The Other. That is a road going to oblivion. Unless we learn to at a minimum understand those we see as adversary, it’ll just go down hill. The only exception is when we are physically attacked, and self defense is understandable and justified. But until then, mutual understanding is far preferable, don’t you think?
Republished from BumbleBuddhist, with thanks
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